IT Managers Need to Start Setting Tablet Support Policies Now

The essential issue is access to information. You need
that access whether you're in a meeting, on the way to work or wherever. You're
already expected to have all of the information necessary to do your job at
your fingertips all the time now. This need will only grow more intense.
This is where tablets, regardless of what you call them,
really shine. They're smaller and lighter than a meeting folder, they hold
vastly more information, and they can be updated in real time. They're not the
best platform for content creation, and there are some things they're really
not much good at, but that's beside the point-the tablet format is very good at
the one thing that people need most, which is access to information.

Exactly how this shakes out remains to be seen. Apple has
a big lead in that part of the market that's aimed at things you're likely to
need in a consumer setting. This setting can also include some types of office
use and some roles in the enterprise. But just as the iPhone isn't used by
everybody, so the iPad won't be the only solution to the demand for
tablets.

It's a safe bet that HP's long history of meeting
stringent compliance requirements will give it a leg up in business roles that
are governed by compliance demands. And it's a safe bet that Android tablets
will appear for those people who don't want an iPad. But what's also clear is
that this market is on the verge of exploding as soon as a few minor supply and
distribution problems get worked out. It seems like the tablet tsunami will
come pounding down upon us in six months or less, perhaps by the end of
2010.
This, of course, has big implications for you and your
enterprise. You're going to have to decide what tablets will be acceptable for
your company, and what you're going to be required to do to make them work with
your enterprise. You'll also have to decide who is going to buy the device, how
it's going to be managed, and what you'll need in terms of staff and resources
to manage it.
In some ways, the challenge will be closer to handling
smartphones than laptop computers, but not completely. And at times, you're
going to have to get tough with the rules so that you can avoid those pesky
compliance auditors and their questions. But however you look at it, you can't
avoid the rise of the tablets.

My suggestion is that you start learning as much as you
can as quickly as you can. Set up a means of testing them when they become
available, and buy a couple copies of those that have promise. Start figuring
out the answer with a couple of iPads, since you can get them now. You're going
to need all of the head start you can get.

Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazineÃÃÃs Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.

He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.